


Familiarity and Simplicity

by laijunchen



Category: Bleach
Genre: Implied Sexual Content, Introspection, M/M, Reflection, Romance, Slow Romance, conflicting personalities
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-03
Updated: 2015-03-06
Packaged: 2018-03-16 03:10:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3472241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laijunchen/pseuds/laijunchen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>But with Ichigo- Ichigo, damnitt- not ryoka, not daiko, and not Kurosaki- Byakuya Kuchiki couldn't help but be anything but happy. Not content, but happy. He was simply happy for the first time in what felt like an age. It seemed that the partially human teen was exactly what he needed in his life. Apparently all Kuchiki Byakuya needed in his life was vibrance, and hope, and determination, and the ever changing. Apparently all Kuchiki Byakuya needed was Kurosaki Ichigo<br/>Posted on LiveJournal and Fanfiction.net</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Familiarity and Simplicity**

      Kurosaki Ichigo was not one to stand on formality. He judged ‘familiarity’ through an odd personal filter that didn’t seem to make much sense. A nickname for Nakama, surnames for Nakama, and given names for people more like acquaintances- these ‘rules’ applying even to some who’d tried to kill him. The system simply didn’t make sense to anyone else. Kurosaki Ichigo categorized people according to things intangible, beyond time known or number of battlefields shared, beyond conventional views of respect, or societal ‘norms,’ or tradition.

      If one applied the rule that it was more respectful to address a person by their family name or by their given name with, at least, -san or -dono attached then one would assume that Kurosaki Ichigo accorded more respect to Inoue, Ishida, Urahara-san, Yoroichi-san, and Rangiku-san than he did to anyone else in his life- including all the rest of the captains of the Gotei Thirteen and even closer Nakama. He even called the So-Taichou ‘Gramps’. Those who truly held to tradition simply could not understand. Rules simply never seemed to apply to Kurosaki Ichigo- not any of them at all.

      ~Kuchiki Byakuya, the epitome of the traditional world, found Kurosaki Ichigo’s familiarity absolutely infuriating. Not to mention the fact that he, Kuchiki-sama, Kuchiki-Taichou, had tried to kill the orange-haired ryoka multiple times and always failed. It made Kuchiki Byakuya wonder if he was indeed referred to by his given name out of some odd sense of familiarity and camaraderie or if it was, as it was more likely, absolute hatred and a complete lack of respect. And that’s what upset him most: that Kurosaki might respect him less after the incident on Soukyoku Hill (though he would never admit this fear to anyone). However, he knew that Kurosaki Ichigo was not the kind of person who would gloat over his victories, that he would not look down upon a defeated opponent. Ichigo either respected one as a person or he did not.

      Despite the blatant disregard for his due title and status, this trait was actually one of the things that drew him to the young man. It was something he wished he could do. It was the boy’s very own way of doing things. Perhaps it was something he’d learned from his unorthodox family or even from his short but full life of fighting and solitude. But the only way in which Kuchiki Byakuya had learned things was through tradition.

      With his wife he was Byakuya-sama, even in private. And while this was appropriate, even expected, it was detached. It was cold. To his sister he would always be Nii-sama; not Byakuya-sama or Nii-san, and certainly not Byakuya-nii. And though Rukia spoke his title with more affection –any affection- since her failed execution it still lacked in truly deep feeling. It lacked much more than a hint of the blatant emotion he could hear in the ryoka boy’s voice.

      Regardless of whether he was held back by protocol or simply lacking in courage, even if he could ask Rukia to call him something less formal, something a touch more endearing, he would not. He doubted that she would feel comfortable doing so, especially by what may have seemed a command.

      He intimidated and gave off a sense of superiority, the unquestionable feeling of nobility, on purpose. Few people ever made it past this part of him. Of course, Kurosaki Ichigo hadn’t bothered to wade through the ice of his exterior to reach him. Kurosaki Ichigo simply took his unusual, over-sized zanpaktou and forcefully carved his own path to ‘interior’ Byakuya. He liked that the young man always went straight to the point.

      They were very much alike, he and Kurosaki. They had both suffered deep loss. They both were treated differently than others: he because of his strength and status as a nobleman of the highest rank; Kurosaki because of his hair and strength and the violence that surrounded him as a result. They had both spent their lives training, honing their skills, struggling, and fighting- if in very different ways.

      They had each built masks. Kurosaki wore a constant scowl, always looking as though he was brooding and careless of everything around him. Kuchiki was, seemingly, always emotionless, ever apathetic. They both were anything but what they portrayed. They each constructed walls around their hearts to keep themselves safe- if from different things and in different ways. Byakuya would shut away his heart so that no one would ever again be close enough that he again had to suffer the pain of loss. Kurosaki would keep his heart close so that the number of people he would love and protect would be worth whatever pain and heartache he might have to suffer for them later.

      Allowing for the fact that rules never seemed to apply to Kurosaki Ichigo it shouldn't have been surprising when, against all odds, Kuchiki Byakuya fell in love with the young man. This shouldn't have astonished the nobleman, but it did, all the same. However, Kurosaki was so erratic compared to the ever predictable Kuchiki that his own reactions quite frequently shocked him.

      He was shocked that he found someone even close to on par with himself, power wise, to love. He was shocked he was in love with someone so young. He was shocked that this time his family would probably approve of his choice of mate, as the Shibas were nobility. He was shocked that he was even considering doing anything about his feelings. Most of all, he was shocked that he could ever love anyone more than he'd loved Hisana. Then again, with Kurosaki, nothing ever did go predictably. Byakuya was okay with that and for a man that so craved orderliness, this was quite unusual. But he did love Kurosaki Ichigo more than he'd ever loved Hisana.

      He loved the teen differently than he'd loved his late wife. Hisana was the beautiful winter snow while Ichigo was the blazing heat of mid-summer. They were as different as night and day. Perhaps that was why he loved Kurosaki as he did. She was a soft breeze that came through his life where he was a gale that overturned his life. Perhaps his life being blown to bits was what he needed. Before the shinigami daiko's abrupt appearance in his life he had been stagnating. He had been content with his lonely life and his terribly orderly, quiet, rule-driven job. The sixth squad taicho had been certain that nothing was ever going to change and so he had never looked for change.

      After decades of stagnation and retched contentedness he could only be grateful that Kuroskai Ichigo was nothing if not a whirlwind of change, of evolution. Byakuya was of two minds regarding Kurosaki's evolution: first, he was envious, though he'd never say so aloud; second, he was proud that his love was so very powerful. After all, a Kuchiki deserved only the best and most powerful and there were now none to match the orange haired young man. Byakuya's dichotomous thoughts made him want to better himself, and wasn't that how the best of loves worked? Wanting to be the best you could be for the person you loved? Byakuya wasn't sure, as he'd only had the one failed relationship before Kurosaki barged into his life.

      Regardless, Kuchiki Byakuya was too proud to be anything other than the best he could be. Beside which, he would have to fight to prove to Kurosaki that he was worthy of him. The teen had so many admirers that he could be with almost anyone he wanted. Byakuya was probably not Kurosaki's first choice for partner, but a Kuchiki never simply gave up without trying. The shinigami honestly thought he had little chance of securing the young ryoka's affections, considering how much time he spent with Inoue-san, Rukia, and Renji.

      And then Kurosaki kissed him and all Byakuya's insecurities vanished. This was also the point at which chaos broke out in the Seireitei. Apparently, the shinigami women's association had been waiting for this day for quite a while. It would seem that all the time the ryoka had spent with the Rukia, Renji, and Inoue-san had been to advise Kurosaki on confessing to the Kuchiki nobleman. Byakuya was both pleased and annoyed with Kurosaki. After all, despite that he'd needed encouragement he'd had the courage to express his feelings. He was only displeased that the WSA had to ever be involved in any of his relationships. Ever.

      But lying in bed with an exhausted and quite spent (Byakuya was quite smug to note) Ichigo- not ryoka, not daiko, not Kurosaki, damnitt- Byakuya Kuchiki couldn't help but be anything but happy. Not content, but happy. He was simply happy for the first time in what felt like an age. It seemed that the partially human teen was exactly what he needed in his life. Apparently all Kuchiki Byakuya needed in his life was vibrance, and hope, and determination, and the ever changing. Apparently all Kuchiki Byakuya needed was Kurosaki Ichigo.

      And wasn't that a pleasant surprise and shock?


	2. Ichigo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "If Byakuya hadn't already been stuck in Ichigo's head because of the night they'd taken Rukia back to Soul Society, these commonalities would have ensured Byakuya a place in the teen's thoughts. As it was, the similarities he saw between them and their battles made Kuchiki-taichou a permanent fixture in his brain."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is part two of Familiarity and Simplicity. This chapter is from Ichigo's pov, as the last chapter was from Byakuya's pov.  
> Frankly, I do not like the end of this chapter. It just feels slip-shod and uninspired. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, though. Thanks!

**Familiarity and Simplicity**  
**Ichigo:**

      Kurosaki Ichigo hated the way Byakuya stood on formality and such stagnting tradition. It wasn't that he didn't mind a bit of formality and tradition in his life, just not the way that Byakuya viewed them: As a defining factor of life.

  
      It also seemed that the Kuchiki lord believed that rigid formality was the only way to convey ones respect for another. Ichigo felt the opposite. He thought it rather insulting that after all he had been through with Byakuya that the older man would address him as 'Kurosaki Ichigo' and not by his first name. Didn't their battles mean anything? THey'd both fought Renji because of Rukia. They'd fought each other because of Rukia. They'd both nearly died for Rukia. Even though they'd been enemies, both had been fighting for, basically, the same things; duty, honor, and oaths they'd made to ones they loved.

  
      If Byakuya hadn't already been stuck in Ichigo's head because of the night they'd taken Rukia back to Soul Society, these commonalities would have ensured Byakuya a place in the teen's thoughts. As it was, the similarities he saw between them and their battles made Kuchiki-taichou a permanent fixture in his brain.

      Kurosaki had no experience with love, except in a familial sense. He had no great desire for the emotion beyond friendship and family. Consequently, he was quite shocked when love fell into his lap, so to speak.

  
      He hadn't the foggiest idea what to do about it, especially seeing as he'd fallen in love with Kuchiki Byakuya. Not that he would have known what to do if it had been anyone else, either. It was just that there didn't seem to be too many people worse for him, specifically, to fall for other than the Kuchiki lord. Off the top of his head the only people who could be worse were Kurotsuchi, Kenpachi, and Aizen was... iffy. He imagined one of the Espada was more likely to return his affections than Byakuya was. Maybe he should have fallen for Grimmjow or Nel?

  
      Time passed quickly, the war was over. Ichigo had surpassed everyone's expectations, except his own. For Ichigo there was nothing to expect. There were only goals to be accomplished, foes to defeat, regardless of the odds. There was no 'surrender,' no 'retreat,' no 'thats the limit.' It was always do or die. So, eventually he would make his feelings known. Eventually. Maybe. Perhaps when he was sure he could handle his heart breaking... Do or die.

  
      By the time Kurosaki regained his shinigami powers, most of his friends had begun to pair off: Ishida and Inoue had been going steady for a year; Renji had asked Rukia out not long after the Winter War; and, oddly enough, Chad and Tatsuki seemed to be not so secretly developing feelings for each other. Yoroichi had Soi Fong and Urahara to keep her busy. Toushiro was still pining after Momo and Matsumoto was still quietly getting over Gin. Kurosaki would never say anything but he almost felt left out. He wasn't lovey-dovey and he didn't want 'mushy,' but he did want that closeness that all his friends seemed to have found while he silently mourned not only the loss of his powers but also the consequential loss of any chance with Kuchiki Byakuya.

  
      Seventeen months passed, Ichigo regained his powers with the surprising help of many in the Seireitei. Ginjou was defeated. Ichigo's stance as shinigami daiko was made clear to the Sou-taichou and his life was back on track. Ichigo was again free and Byakuya was again within reach. That the sixth squad captain had helped everyone return his powers to him gave the teen hope for his feelings for the older man.

  
      When he finally confessed his love to Byakuya, with the much needed help and advice of his friends. , he was a bit surprised when the captain basically jumped his bones. Thank goodness they were at the Kuchiki manor and not att eh sixth division compound where Renji would likely... interupt.

  
      They spent years in a long distance relationship until Ichigo graduated college with his Bachelors degree. After asking for the tenth time, Ichigo was finally okay with the idea of moving to Soul Society permanently. Ichigo was finally content with his life. For Kurosaki Ichigo, contentment was as close to complete and unsurpassed joy as he was ever likely to get. And seeing that Kuchiki Byakuya was the same way, it appeared that nothing more could be asked for.


End file.
